Which of the imams of the schools of jurisprudence said that scholarly consensus is not a source of evidence, with reference to the source?

The questioner : Which of the imams of the schools of jurisprudence said that scholarly consensus is not a source of evidence, with reference to the source?

The Shaykh : No one says that it is not a source of evidence except misguided sects. As for the four imams and others, they affirm scholarly consensus. And scholarly consensus is a fixed matter, as we always and forever mention that we call to the Book and the Sunnah. And not only that, but also to the methodology of the righteous Salaf. This is because in all Islamic sects, old and new, you will not find anyone who says, "We do not argue from the Book and the Sunnah." They all say this. However, the people of desires among them interpret the texts of the Book and the Sunnah with a double interpretation so that it agrees with their desires. I have cited the Qadiyyah to you repeatedly as an example of a modern sect. They do not explicitly deny the Sunnah, even though, as far as I know, they actually deny a large part of it. But they interpret the Sunnah that they cannot deny with an interpretation that is far from the language and far from the interpretation of our righteous Salaf. And they do the same with the Qur'an. Therefore, we say: It is necessary to understand Islam from its two sources, the Book and the Sunnah, with a correct understanding. We must return in that to what the righteous Salaf were upon, and support that with evidence. Among that is the saying of Allah (Mighty and Majestic): . Here, along with opposing the Messenger (peace be upon him), it mentions following a path other than the path of the believers. Our Lord (Mighty and Majestic) did not mention the path of the believers in this verse in vain, but for the point we always and forever circle around, which is that the path of the believers clarifies and details for us the intended meaning of what Allah (Mighty and Majestic) revealed to His Prophet, or what His Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) spoke of. And from this Qur'anic text, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) derived, for example, when he said: . He did not suffice with saying: , but he added to it his saying: . The reason is what we mentioned earlier, that the Sunnah of these people clarifies for us what the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) was upon of guidance and light. So it is not possible, indeed it is not permissible, to deny scholarly consensus. And whoever explicitly denies it is explicitly declaring his exit from the community of Muslims.